Theater seating equipment



L. J. DUPREY THEATER SEATING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10,1923 D 2, 1924. 7 1,517,774 L. J. DUPREY THEATER SEATING EQUIPMENT FiledJuly 10, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if 77 LXI Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

LOUIS T. DUIREY, 0F DORCHES TER, MASSACHUSETTS.

THEATER SEATING EQUIPMENT.

Application filed July 10, 1923. Serial. No. 650,596.

their normal position in the auditorium to a sub-chamber or lobby whichconstitutes a loading compartment.

A principal object of the' invention is to provide a seating arrangementof this character which permits any patron of the theater to enter orleave his place without at all disturbing other patrons.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby all of theseats of the auditorium may be simultaneously low ered in. case of fireor other panic to an exit sub-chamber that is preferably of completelyfireproof construction and that is also arranged for most convenientwhosesale exit to of persons therefrom.

Further objects are to enhance the per sonal comfort of patrons, toavoid any obstruction to the view at any time, and to provide aconvenient clothes-rack. I I The foregoing and other objects andadvantages of the invention will-be better understood from the followingdetailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,and the distinctive to features of novelty will be thereafter pointedout in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts ineach of the several views Figure 1 is a perspective view with por tionsbroken away and in section showing an auditorium having a seatingequipment embodying .the' invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial side view and vertical section illustrating themanner of mounting and operating the individual chairs, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of an operating detail.

10 indicates an auditorium or assembly room of a theater or like blage.I

In accordance with my invention a subchamber or lobby 11, constituting aloading compartment, is provided directly underneath the auditorium.This lobby or loading compartment may be located at approximately thestreet level, and has extending along the sides thereof corridors 12,13. Doors 14 open outward from these corridors, preferably in alignmentwith each row of seats, and other doors 15 open into these corridorsfrom the lobby or loading compartment 11, also preferably at thelocality of each row of seats.

In practice it is contemplated that these doors 14, 15 will constituteexits from the chamber 11, while for ingress into the theaplace ofassemter patrons would be required to enter the corridors 12, 13 from afront entrance with a usual ticket gate (not shown).

In accordance with my invention, the floor 16 of the auditorium 10isprovided at the locality of the several seats with trap doors 17,hinged at the front thereof as indicated at 18 and adapted to fit intorabbeted seats 19 to normally close openings 20 through the floor intothe loading compartment 11. The individual chairs 21 are equippedwithbases 22 normally closing these openings, and each chair with itsbase 22 is mounted for vertical movement at the upper end of a plunger23. This plunger is equipped with a piston head 23 at its lower endwhich fits in a cylinder 24, the series of cylinders 24 with theoperating connections therefor to be described, being shown as housed ina basement underneath the loading compartment 11.

The range of vertical movement thus provided for the chairs 21 is suchthat at the upper limit thereof they'are located in proper position inthe auditorium 10.with the bases 22 in alignment with the floor of theauditorium, while when in fully lowered position they rest upon thefloor of the lobby or loading compartment 11.

The series of cylinders 24 have pipe connections 25 to the lowerends'thereof, to receive hydraulic pressure from a main 26 which isconnected with .a reservoir 27 that may be kept supplied with hydraulicpres sure to the requisite degree by a suitable pump 28 and electric orother motor 29.

A turning valve 30 is provided in the pipe connection 25 from thepressure main to each cylinder for controlling the inlet of fluidpressure to the cylinder. This valve is operated by a. rod composed ofsquared telescopic sections 31, 31 with the upper section 31 held at theside of the seat which it controls, and equipped at its top with asuitable handpiece 31 The operating rod section 31 is provided neai itslower end with a short arm 32 to which is connected a link 33, the otherend of which is engaged with an arm 34 of an exhaust valve 35, alsoapplied to the pipe connection 25.

It will be understood that this operating connection is so arranged thatwhen the valve 30 is open to supply fluid pressure to the cylinder theexhaust valve 35 is closed, and vice versa.

It is desirablethat means he provided for automatically opening the trapdoor 17 associated with a given chair, as such chair starts on itsupward movement. For this purpose I rovide rods 36, pivotally engaged at3 with the lower sides of the trap doors some distance outward from thehinges 18 thereof. These rods 36 extend downward with piston heads 38,at the lower ends thereof which operate in small cylinders 39 associatedwith the respective cylinders 24 and having fluid pressure connections40 leading from the piping 25.

Thusuponv opening-the pressure valve 30,

. and as the seat 21 controlled thereby starts to rise from the bottomof the loading compartment 11, the ingress of fluid pressure to thesmall cylinder 39 will first open the trap door 17 before the chair hashad time to rise to any considerable extent, and before it nearsthe'opening 20 of the auditorium floor.

The pressure main 26 is preferably provided with a hand-operated exhaustvalve '41 which may be opened in emergency, or

as desired, to permit all the seats tobe lowered simultaneously from theauditorium into the lobby or loading compartment.

For guarding the operatin mechanism of the several chairs when saldchairs are raised from the loading compartment, suitable guard frames 42are provided extending around such operating mechanism, and adapted tobe yieldingly pressed. down through the floor 43 of the loadingcompartment when the chairs are lowered thereinto.

For this purpose these guard frames extend down through the floor 43with outturned lower ends 42 thereof engaged by tension springs-44 whichare anchored to the floor, and which thus tend normally to hold theframes 42 at their upper limit of movement, as indicated at the rlght inFig ure 2, while when a chair is lowered upon the floor 43, the guardframe associated therewith is pressed downward as indicated at the leftin said figure.

The pressure main 26 and reservoir 27 maybe provided with a'suitablepressure the theater and find their seats, upon turning the handpiece31", the seat is moved quickly but gently upward into the auditorium.

During a performance, any seat occupant may depart by merely turning thehandpiece 31, causing the seat to be lowered into the lobby or loadingcompartment, and in like manner he may again re-enter the auditoriumwithout in anywise disturbing, or interfering with the view of, otherpatrons.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and Itherefore desire the present embodiment to be considered as illustrativeand not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims ratherthan to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of theinvention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. Theater seating equipment comprising anauditorium, a lobby or loading compartment located thereunder, and fluidpressure means under the control of the occupant for raising the seatsindividually from said loading compartment to the auditorium at will.

2. Theater seating e uipment comprising an assembly room, a 10 by orloading compartment located thereunder, seats each having a fluidpressure plunger associated therewith for raising the same from saidloading compartment to the assembly room at will, and means located inroximity to the respective seats for controlling said fluid pressureplungers.

3. Seating equipment comprising an auditorium, a. loading compartmentlocated thereunder, seats mounted for individual movement verticallyinto said loadin compartment or said auditorium at wil fluid pressuremeans under the control of the occupant for operating said seatsindividually and a trap door associated with each seat so controlled bysaid fluid pressure means.

4. Theater seating equipment comprising an auditorium, a loadingcompartment located thereunder, seats borne by vertical plungers formovement upward into said auditorium or downward into said loadingcompartment at will, fluid pressure connec tions for operating saidplungers having individual controlling means associated with therespective seats, and means permitting all 1the seats to be loweredsimultaneously at wil 5. Seating equipment comprising chairs mounted onfluid pressure plungers for vertical movement upward into an auditoriumor downward into a loading compartment at will, fluid pressureconnections for operating said plungers having individual controllingmeans associated with the respective chairs, and trap doors equipped toalso constitut'e clothesracks associated with the respective chairs.

6. Theater seating equipment comprising an auditorium, a loadingcompartment located thereunder, chairs mounted for movement upward intosaid auditorium or downward into said loading compartment at will, trapdoors associated with said chairs in said auditorium, fluid pressuremechanism for operating said chairs and also said trap doors, and guardframes yieldingly mounted in said loading compartment and associatedwith said fluid pressure mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd dayof June,

- LOUIS J. DUPREY.

